Sound familiar?

[Heads Up]

Guess I'm just lucky really!! After ordering a wetsuit via mail order and having the thing take a week (only to have the shop admit they didn't actually have one in stock, but they would send me a better one for the money, which then turned out to be a sample suit given my the manufacturors rep) I ventured into my local dive shop (Robin Hood Watersports).

The guy there was superb - talked me though everything, asked what kind of diving I would be predominantly be doing, recommended a BCD (Seaquest Quickdraw Pro) even though I had asked for the Scubapro Glide 2000 (which was more expensive), helped me choose my regs (explaining all about cold water requirements and reassuring me the scubapro kit exceeded the EU requirements), recommended a great pare of fins and snorkel, assembled my reg for me (while showing me what to do) and explained all about the warranty and servicing. All in all, I couldn't fault them.

Then, to add to it further, I got nearly £200 discount as they counted what I had bought as a package.

Basically, the rule for me now is to ignore the internet deals and to head direct to my local dive shop because they know my needs and I can trust them to not cheat me.

Well done, RH Watersports!!

 

[neil]

Finding good people to work in dive shops is not as problematic as it may seem. Here's what you get when you hire ME:
a mature person (40 something)
experienced instructor for 2 agencies
genius technician
certifications all over the place
speaks English in complete sentences (not evidenced here)

Here's what it takes: a decent bloody salary!! That's why I can't work in dive shops anymore; because they insist on hiring inexperienced kids and paying 6 bucks an hour. The industry has made being a dive shop employee primarily a kid's job. Now, I like young people, I WAS one once, but you get my drift. Oviously there are other factors, but that's a big one.
There's no excuse for the way some of you were treated. I think you ought to let the idiots know when you've purchased from their competition. My 2 cents.
Neil

 

[Greg G.]

I originally learned to dive in the NW (Seattle) area, now relocated to SE Florida. My experience with varied customer service has been the same from day one. When I first decided to learn to dive, I called 3 different shops in my area. The closest one was very indifferent, the one farthest but still not an unreasonable drive was down right snotty, the third shop I called happened to have an excellent employee who took the time to talk to me about diving and what to expect. Guess which shop I chose to get certified at? Since then I've experienced the same varied customer service, including here in Florida, sometimes even at the same shops when ever they have a turn over of personel.

Originally posted by large_diver
Don't hold your breath -- dive shop customer service here in the US is probably just as variable as the experiences you've described above.....although to be in a shop for 30 minutes without being spoken to -- that is pretty bad.

 

[OceanSpirit]

I've opened up a real good one here, I think!
Keep them coming.